First Time to Hogwarts
by Sheankelor
Summary: Severus has received his letter to Hogwarts and is off to school. Wendyll refused to be left behind, so, even though wrens were not on the list of acceptable pets, she came along. How do they make it? A 'Making a Family' Universe tale


_AN: A present of the lovely moppet, and thanks to Yen once again for looking over part of it. There are two others in this series - A Wren's choice and Miss Wren and the Boy. If you haven't read them, you might be slightly lost. Only slightly.  
_

 _First Time to Hogwarts_

Severus tipped his head to one side, letting his hair dangle as close to his should as he could. Lily was staring avidly about, so he wasn't worried about her spotting the little bird that was clinging to the inside of his collar close to his neck, it was the others that were pressed close to them in the chamber where they were waiting to be brought into the Great Hall by Professor McGonagall. Wendyll had settled into her current location as there were crossing the lake, before that she had cuddled deep in his shirt pocket. _'Of course she had to see the lake and the castle.'_

Falling into line with the other first years, he walked into the Great Hall hoping that no one would see the little wren on his shoulder.

"A hat! We are just going to put on a hat, Severus." Lily grinned, relief shining in her face.

It was a relief that Severus could not feel for he knew that Wendyll would be spotted if he straightened his head, something he would have to do to wear the hat. He worried the entire time names were being called. Wendyll was not an owl, frog, or cat so she was not allowed by the school rules, but there was no way he was going to leave her either.

"Evans, Lily."

Watching the hat drop on Lily's head, Severus moved back away from the crowd. In a low whisper, he spoke quickly. "You've got to hide some place, Wendyll." A warm head pushed against his neck as if offering reassurance. "Just don't get caught."

Wendyll watched as the children put on a hat and then it spoke. Curiosity was burning through her, wondering how the hat determined anything about the students. Huddling close to Severus' neck, she watched as the hat called out for child after child until it was Severus' turn. Using the movement of the hat as a distraction, she scrambled under its brim, her toes holding onto the top of Severus' ear.

" _What? Who are you?"_

Severus blinked in surprise. ' _I am Severus Snape.'_

" _Not you, the other one."_

' _I am Wendyll, a wren and Severus' companion.'_ She refrained from calling the boy her family as she wasn't sure the hat would understand that.

" _You are not allowed to be here. A Sorting is a private affair between me and the student."_

' _I don't mind if Wendyll is here. I_ _ **do**_ _mind sitting here longer than needed, can we get this Sorting over with?'_

" _But..."_

' _No buts, I mind her less than I do you. Now, what House am I going to?"_

' _Be nice, Severus, he's only doing his job.'_

The feeling of his mind being search almost made Severus shudder.

" _You've a fine mind and could easily succeed in all the Houses, but there's only one that'll help you achieve your goals."_

' _Can you help me get Wendyll into hiding before you announce it? Professor McGonagall will just yank you off my head the moment you speak and she will be exposed. Maybe you can wiggle about some.'_ Severus waited a moment until he felt something akin to an affirmative from the hat. _'Wendyll, I'll tilt my head towards my shoulder, you slide out from under the hat and see if you can get inside of my robes. Maybe down the arm sleeve. When I adjust my robes, you can make your way back to the shirt pocket.'_

' _Okay, Severus.'_

' _Hat?'_

" _I'll start now, you tip your head, mind you – don't let me fall off."_

The Hat started shifting back and forth, flipping its brim periodically.

' _She's safe! Thanks, Hat.'_

" _You are welcome. Now, your House will be"_ The crease opened and the last word was spoken out loud. "Slytherin!"

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

Shutting the bed curtains tight, Severus changed into his nightshirt while Wendyll hopped across his headboard before finding her way to his pillow. Pulling the thick covers back, Severus crawled under them, and settled in. "I'll take you out in the morning."

Wendyll churred a quiet thanks next to his ear.

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Severus sat up slowly in bed and parted the curtains only to be slapped with a cold draft. A shiver woke him the rest of the way up and he scanned the rest of the room to see if anyone else was stirring. _'No one. Probably too early for them.'_ Tucking his feet into his slippers, he found his trunk mainly by touch and opened it by it as well. Underclothes, uniform, robes, and a flannel were pulled and he closed the trunk just as quietly it was opened. A small weight landed on his shoulder as he walked to the toilet using the memory from last night.

Closing the door tightly behind him, Severus' eyes widened as the room automatically brightened.

"Morning, Wendyll." Setting his clothes on a convenient ledge, he rested the flannel on the edge of the sink.

Wendyll flitted to the sink while chirping a quiet good morning. "Are you going to take me outside before breakfast or after?"

"Before, that way you can find something good." Severus turned the spigots on, a small smile curling his lips as warm water came out. _'I didn't have to haul wood for it.'_ Stoppering the sink quickly so as not to lose the water, he glanced at the door and shed his nightshirt. He quickly washed up, making sure to get all the important areas: face, hands, underarms, groin, and feet. He dressed as fast as he washed, and then studied his hair in the mirror. _'The weekend. I'll have to find the tubs and figure out where to haul the water in from to fill it.'_ It wasn't until he let the water out of the sink that he realized that the tubs might have spigots as well. _'Maybe the weekend bath will be easier than I thought.'_

"Come on Wendyll, let's get you outside." Severus patted his shoulder.

Last nights vague memories helped only slightly as Severus tried to find the front doors. There were no portraits in the dungeons to tell him where to go, and the suits of arm didn't talk. Eventually they found themselves outside being bathed in the rising sun.

"Where do you want to go?" Severus looked about, taking in the courtyard and then the swath of grass that was near it. "There are some bushes over near the lake."

"That will be a good spot. Maybe I can find breakfast there." Wendyll bounced on his shoulder, her wings flicking as she chirped.

"Bushes it is then." Severus trekked across the grounds. As they neared the bushes, Wendyll took off from his shoulder and landed on the top branches. Severus quickly scanned the skies. "There are owls around, Wendyll! Be careful."

"I've avoided owls before, Severus." A gentle churr sounded as she tried to soothe her boy. "I will be fine. You need to be careful as well. Those boys on the train, they were not very nice."

Severus dropped onto the dew damped ground and looked out over the Black Lake. "I've avoided boys like that before, Wendyll. I'll be fine."

A scolding chirp was her only response to that.

"You want to come back in at night? I can come collect you after dinner if you want to sleep in the room with me. You will be there when it gets cold. I can slip out in the morning like I did today so you can go back outside."

Flicking her wings, she tilted her head slightly. "What about all the other boys? You read me the letter, I am not allowed here with you."

Severus frowned slightly. "That is as a pet. You _are not_ my pet."

Gliding onto his shoulder, Wendyll churred near his ear. "I know, you are my family, but they will not see that. No, they will think you have a wren as a pet and then send me away."

Black eyes narrowed. "They will not send you away. If you leave, how will I know you made it through the winter? You have to stay, so they will not know about you. I kept you a secret from Mum and Dad, I can do the same here." Tucking lank hair behind his ear, he turned his head just enough to see Wendyll out of the corner of his eye. "You just have to decide if I am bring you in at night or not."

Black eye met black eye as the sunlight glinted off the lake. The smaller one eventually blinked.

"After dinner. I will meet you here at the bushes." She flicked a wing, the tip of it brushing his neck. "We can continue as we have done at home. I will want to hear about your classes, so find a place we can do your homework together."

Severus nodded and leaned back, resting his weight on his hands behind him. "What are your plans for the day?"

Hopping onto his knee so that she could see him clearer, Wendyll chirped happily. "I will be exploring this grounds and maybe the castle if I can get in."

"Have fun." Smiling, Severus watched her bob on his knee, content in the silence.

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

"I saw the owls flying about, agitated. What happened?" Severus settled next to the bushes finding a place that he was hard to be observed.

"I found the owlery." Wendyll flitted from branch to branch until she was near his shoulder. "They tried to catch me, but I am too fast and smart." Preening her feathers, she waited for the scold she knew was coming.

"I told you to be careful! Those are magical owls, post owls. They are smarter than your average creature, just like you are." Severus glared at her, easily spotting the wren among the branches. "What else did you do today, besides taunting owls?"

Settling down, she told him of all the places she explored, and in then listened to his day of classes.

"Come on," Severus held out a hand towards her. "It is time to head inside."

Wendyll flew onto his hand and hopped under his cuff. Standing carefully, Severus walked back into the castle, heading for the Slytherin dormitories.

"Severus!" Lily's voice came from the stairs.

Turning quickly, Severus watched her rush to the bottom of the staircase. "Hi, Lily."

"Want to go to the library to work on our homework?" She gestured towards the stairs. "The others in my house aren't ready to get started, but I thought you might."

Gripping the handle of his school bag he nodded. "Let's get started. What did you have today?"

"We had Charms and Herbology." Falling into step with him, Lily swung her bag by her side. "Tomorrow I have History of Magic and Transfigurations."

"I had Transfigurations today and Herbology. Tomorrow I will have History of Magic and Charms." Severus pulled his arm that held Wendyll close to his body as they passed a group of students. "Where is the library?"

Flashing him a grin, Lily showed him.

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

Flying quickly, Wendyll dodged the hands reaching for her and the spells shot in her directions. Her flight took her into the dungeons and she darted through a rapidly closing door. The scents in the room struck her, almost making her cry out. Instead, she landed on the floor near the door, her heart beating so hard she was sure it could be heard. Huddling in the shadows, she heard a voice, one that she trusted and flew towards it, diving up the robe sleeve, and clutched onto the pale arm. Severus would keep her safe.

Severus started, and then acted as if nothing happened. A quick glance about the room showed that everyone was so focused on their potions that they hadn't noticed the little bird, not even his partner.

"I will get the next ingredient." Severus walked rapidly towards the storage closet, not giving Wilkes a chance to tell him that it was already on their bench. Stepping into the closet, he pulled back his sleeve and whispered. "What happened?"

Taking in the shivering body, he shook his head. "Never mind. Move to my shirt pocket. You can stay with me the rest of the day."

Giving Severus a quick head rub, Wendyll darted into the offered pocket.

Huddled down deep, she listened to the lessons and heard Severus mumbling explanations to her. The day that had started so horrible turned into one of the best so far. She was looking forward to the holidays where she could travel with Severus without any worries of being seen.

Classes were finally over and Severus made his way to the bushes near the lake. Settling down out of sight of everyone else who were outside, he open his shirt pocket. "What happened, Wendyll? How did you end up in the Potions classroom? You weren't chased by an owl were you?"

Hopping out of the pocket, she settled on his hand and peered at him. "An owl? No, If I stay out of the owlery they leave me alone. I was investigating the corridors, trying to find my own way back to the dormitory when a group of older students started chasing me. I have no idea what they wanted from me, and I don't want to know.

Severus narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering who would attack a small wren. "You need to be careful inside from now on. Do you want to investigate the halls during dinner? All the students should be in the Great Hall then, and you have already seen that."

Flicking her tail, Wendyll bobbed her head. "Yes, that sounds like a good time."

"The caretaker has a cat, so watch out for her." Severus quirked a grin at the huffy sounding chirp.

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

"Flying lessons?" Wendyll hopped about on Severus' pillow until she faced him. "I can teach you to fly. Though you don't have wings, so it might take some creativity to do it."

"Wizards fly on brooms, not using wings." Severus wound a hand towel into small nest. "I am going to be learning with the Ravenclaws next week."

Wendyll settled onto her nest. "I will come to help supervise."

"I think you just want a ride on a broomstick." Severus chuckled at the flipped wing.

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

"Hold your hand over the broom and say up."

Severus gave the broom an uncertain look. ' _Is that one of the bushes stuck on the end there?'_ He held his hand over it. "Up."

The broom rolled about on the ground.

"More authority, Severus." To anyone else that sentence would sound like chirping, but he understood it easily.

Severus closed his eyes briefly before scanning the ground trying to find Wendyll. He did not want to step on her. He spotted her in the twigs that looked like the bush.

"Come on, Severus. You can command this thing used to clean floors. The wind is different, you need to coax it." Wendyll hopped to another twig closer to the middle. "Try again."

Severus thought of how his dad sounded when he wanted something done right then and there. "Up."

The broom shot off the ground and stopped just under his hand. Darting a fast look back at its passenger, he was glad to see Wendyll was not dislodged.

The flying professor walked down the lines of students helping those who had not succeeded to get their broom in the air. "Now, swing a leg of the broomstick and gently push off the ground. You should be hoovering just a foot in the air."

Severus did so, remembering what Wendyll had said – command the broom. Hoovering over the ground, he noticed that he was more than a foot the professor wanted them to be. _'Should I point the stick down, just stay here, or what?'_

"To go higher, tilt the front of the broom up, down to go towards the ground, and left and right take you in those directions. Stay in this area, away from the castle and the forest. Go practice."

Pulling the front of the broomstick up, Severus went higher, watching out for the other more experienced flyers zipping around. Manoeuvring carefully, he made his way to an empty place. A fluttering near his ear distracted him for a moment as Wendyll settled on his shoulder.

"Now that you are airborne you're just like a chick having to learn what you can do." She flitted closer to his ear. "But do try _not_ to crash, that was always a bad end to a learning flight."

"You know this from personal experience?" His only answer was claws digging into his shoulder.

"Hard turn right, Severus."

Obeying the chirped command, Severus suddenly found himself facing the Forbidden Forest.

"Lean forward and go straight ahead as fast as you can. Be prepared to turn left quickly when I tell you to."

Wondering why he was listening to a wren giving him directions, he obeyed. The forest was looming close before Wendyll told him to turn.

"Fly alongside the forest, keeping the same distance from the edge. Feel the wind, Severus. Learn what it is telling you. It will want you to go in one direction or the other, or it might let you go where you will without complaint. Listen to what it says and coax it. You need to gently convince the wind to let you go where you want."

Nodding, Severus drifted along the edge near the tops of the trees. In some places the wind tried to pull him into the reaching branches and in others it seemed to toss him away.

"Command the broom, coax the wind, Severus."

Taking a firm grip on the broom shaft, he forced it to go where he wanted it to. That was the easy part, it was the wind buffeting him from all sides that was hard to work with.

Wendyll flew off his shoulder and settled on the broomstick just in front of his hands. Opening her wings she felt the wind flow over them. "Feel the wind, Severus. Fly with it not against it. Slide around the swells. Coax them into letting you go where you want."

Letting go of the broom with his hands and clamping it tight between his legs, Severus held his arms out mimicking Wendyll's wings. The wind wrapped around them, buffeting him this way and that. Dropping one hand back to the broom, he directed it as Wendyll said, along the swells, bringing the broom carefully back to the place he wanted it to be.

After what felt like hours, he landed with the rest of the class. Wendyll was once again in his shirt pocket.

Later that evening, while settling for sleep, she assured him that they had more practice to do. He was going to master the wind.

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

The holidays came faster than Severus expected. The Slytherin dorms emptied as did most of the school. Walking about the quiet castle, he didn't meet anyone unless he was in the more popular areas like the Great Hall and the Library. After the first day, Wendyll travelled with him openly.

The third morning as he walked towards the Great Hall, he passed Mrs. Norris who just flicked her tail when she spotted the wren on Severus shoulder. Since it was early enough that most of the remaining professors were not up, Wendyll hopped and flitted around the Slytherin table, looking for insects that she could enjoy. Severus made sure there were some preserved ones just in case.

"We are going flying after breakfast, Severus." Wendyll choose a beetle from the collection sitting next to Severus' plate.

"It is too cold out there for you to go flying." Severus didn't mention the collection of books he wanted to read, nor the potions he wanted to attempt. He was sure Slughorn would let him practice.

"I will snuggle under your robes. You need the practice, and the winter wind is not as friendly as the autumn's." Dipping her beak into the small dish of water he had poured for her, Wendyll drank her fill.

"I do not have to master flight. I am not interested in Quidditch, and that is the only reason to learn to use a broom here."

"You are my family, Severus. You have to know how to fly. Flying well can save your life." The memories of the forest fire flashed through her mind. Flicking her wing, she pushed them away. "And since you have to fly on a broom, you need to train extra harder."

Sighing, Severus gave in. He had seen the flash of pain in her eyes, and remembered the story she had told him of losing her family. He would perfect this for her.

" I will see if I can borrow a school broom." He grinned as she flitted about, obviously happy he was doing as she wanted him to do. Finishing a cup of hot tea, he headed out the door just as the Headmaster walked in. Hoping that Wendyll was not spotted, Severus rushed out of the castle and shivered. "It is too cold out here!"

Settling on his shoulder, Wendyll huddled against Severus neck and hung on to his shirt. "You have to learn. The winter wind is not nice, it is biting and strong. Coaxing it to do anything takes skill and practice."

"But it's freezing." Ever since he found Wendyll almost frozen to death, Severus worried about her in the cold.

"I've survived worse. Let's get a broom and set to practising."

Giving in, Severus trudged through the frost crusted mud towards the school broom shed while attempting to understand the wind blowing around him.

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

Severus huddled over the soup bowl, his hands cupping it in hopes that the warmth would penetrate the bone deep cold inside of him. He had already made sure Wendyll drank some warm water, as hot as she could stand, when they first came in. The little task master worked him for hours, just letting him come in for lunch. Sipping his soup, he watched the other students laughing and talking amongst themselves. _'None of them are frosty! I am working on potions after lunch no matter what Wendyll says.'_

Less than an hour later he closed the lab door. Slughorn knew where he was, so he felt no need to be subjected to others staring and interfering.

"You should be practising more." Wendyll perched on the lip of his cauldron, her wings flitting slightly.

"I am, but I am practising potions. I'll work on flying more tomorrow, but I don't want to catch a cold out there." Severus opened the textbook and began pulling out his ingredients. Wendyll moved as he lit the fire under the cauldron.

"Aren't you supposed to add the water first?"

"Not in this version." He touched the rim of the cauldron, testing its temperature the same way he had witnessed Mum doing pots in the kitchen. "The water needs to be added to the hot ingredients."

Hopping across the table, Wendyll glided to a nearby stool and perched there. "What goes in first?"

Severus held up a sassafras root.

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

The spring term passed faster than Severus had ever imagined. He and Lily got together when they could to study. Potter and Black gained two others and were roaming the grounds, and Severus did his best to avoid them. Exams were given and the final feast was over before he knew it.

Running a hand over his robes, Severus wondered where Wendyll was and if she was ready to return home. Lily and he chose a carriage in the middle of the line and shared it with a group of Hufflepuffs. Watching out the window, which he had opened, he prayed that Wendyll would catch up soon. His prayers were answered when she darted into the carriage, diving up his robe sleeve. A group of owls veered off just in time missing the carriage door by scant inches.

"What were they chasing, Severus? Did you see?" Lily leaned over him to peer out the window.

Tucking his arm closer to his side, Severus shook his head. "What ever it was it was going too fast."

Flopping back against the cushions, Lily shrugged. "Hopefully it learned its lesson and will be wary of the owls from now on."

Severus felt a flip of a wing brush his arm. "For some reason, I doubt it."

Even as Lily laughed, Severus knew that there was going to be a long conversation about teasing owls when he got home. Maybe if he continued it all summer, Wendyll would finally listen.


End file.
